Fluid container



oct. 31, 1944. E, R KQPPEL 2,361,635 l FLUID CONTAINER Y u Olriginal Filed Jan. 29, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIGLI. la 7` Erns' R Koppe INVENTOR.

BY KZ@ ATTORNEY oct. 31, 1944. E. R. KOPPEL '2,361,635-

FLUID CONTAINER AOriginal Filed Jan. 29, 1940 2A'Sheets-Sheet' 2 A Emsz RKojapeZ INVENTOR raient-ed' oci. 3.1, 1944 v2,361,635 l i i l"UMTED [STATES PATENT oFFlcs Ernst Koppel, Wauwatdsa, Wis., assignor to A. v0. Smith Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of New York Voriginal application January 29, 1940, serial No. 316,083. Divided and this application November 1o, 1941, serial No. 418,583 I 1 claim. (ci, 22o- 15) This .invention relates to hot water tanks.

A n object of the invention is to provide an improved construction for hot water tanks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hot Water tank which can be readily mounted in -an outer shell or casing and surrounded with insulating material to prevent loss of heat.

Another object of the invention is to provide an insulated tank with a slip joint in the external casing to allow diierential expansion or contraction of the tank and casing.

\ Further objects of the invention will be clear from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of an electrically heated tank;

Fig. Zisan enlarged section on the line 2--2 f .I l

Fig. 3 is -a plan view of a blank before it is shaped into the head of a tank; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a gas heated tank.

Referring to the drawings, the tank comprises a cylindrical body section I slightly flared at the ends to receive the two heads 2 and 3. A coating of vitreous enamel or other suitable lining to prevent corrosion may be applied to the internal sur faces of the shell and heads, after which they are provided with the necessaryttings and then assembled and united by Welds ilA and 5; or,a1 ternatively, the shell and heads may be iirst assembled and welded together to form a complete tank which is then galvanized or treated in other suitable fashion toy prevent corrosion.

The blanks from which the heads are formed are generally circular in shape but have four projections 6 extending into the iourcorners of the square which incloses the circular portion of the blank. This procedure' utilizes metal which would be'sheared off if a perfectly circular blank were used. The blanks are formed into heads of suitlable shapes of which two different modifications are shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and the projections `Ii, which are an integral part of the'heads, are bent into legs I .for the support of the tank or its external casing.

Spuds Il are provided for the cold water inlet 9, hot water outlet III, 'and drain pipe I I'. Mounting rings I2; or other mounting means of suitable material are providedfor the support ofthe heating elements I3 and are welded or otherwise 'secured to the cylindrical shell. Plates Il are welded to the shell for the attachment of thermostat controls I5. For the electrically heated the thermostat elements are placed in contact with or inserted into the shell of the tank 35 ments and thermostats.

10 let I0 and elbow 20 are tted to their respective spuds. The tank is mounted in the bottom section Il of the external casing and the legs 'I are secured by bolts 2| to an external support 22 which may be a ring extending around a complete circumference, orseparate legs for attachu ment to the four legs of the tank.

Asbestos or other insulating washers 23 are desirably used in conjunction with the bolts 2I to diminish loss of heat by conduction through the 25 through the hole .24 provided for it. The cold water inlet 9 and drain pipe II are screwed into their respective fittings. Thermostat housings 25 are mounted in the openings in the cylindrical shell that have been made for them and are se- 30 cured by screws 26 to plates I4. Thermostats I5,

4heating elements I3, and electrical conduits 21 and wiring 28 are installed and cover plates 29 are fastened over the openings in the ,outer cas--` ing provided for the insertion of the heating eleis placed between the tank and the external casing and the' upper section I8 of the casing is vmounted in -position and bolted to the four legs Von the head of the tank. 40 In this construction the outer casing can be readily'and easily assembled around the tank4 and is then rigidly supported by the tank. Del spite these advantages, the tank has no connec'- tion with the cylindrical shell section of thevex- '45 tern-al casing.` Differences in the expansion of the tank and casing caused by differences in temf' `perature cause no strain on either since the top of the casing is free tol slide up and down over the cylindrical part; To further provide for differences in the expansion or contraction o'f the' tank and casing, the 'cover plates 29 are secured t0 thethermostat housing 25 but'not to the outer casing and are free to slip over it when the tank expands or contracts more than the casing. 'l The holes for the insertion fof the thermostat i l After the tank-has been secured to the l Insulating material IB housings are made sumciently longer than the inwardly extending projections oi the cover plates to provide ample clearance for the maximum differences in relative expansion that will occur in use.

A modified construction suitable for gas heating is shown in Fig. 4. A thermostat 30' projects into the tank and is responsive to the temperature of the water to control the ow of gas to burner 3l. A central ue 32 conducts the hot gas from the burner up through the tank to the chimney support 33 for the attachment of the chimney. A baffle 3&3 and vanes 35 are provided to aiect the course of the hot gases and cause them to be used eiiciently for the heating of Water in the tank.

The hot Water tank is secured to the top of the casing by the four legs on the upper head, and to the lower section of the casing by means of the four legs on its lower head and the additional -supports or extensions 36 to provide sumcient clearance over the burner.

In this construction as in the other, the tank and the casing are free to expand or contract With the construction of the present invention rivets are unnecessary in the casing and appearance is considerably improved. Furthermore, the casing canI be readily removed without destroying its elements so that various parts may be replaced or parts may be-used again.

. This application is a division of the, application SerialNo. 316,083, nled January 29, 1940, and now Patent #2,303,126.

Various embodiments and modifications of construction may be employed within the spirit and scope of the invention hereinafter claimed.

The invention is claimed as follows:

A hot water heater comprising a substantially Avcylindrical shell, heads Welded to the ends of Aand a slip joint in the casing intermediate the attached head member and casing shell to permit diierential expansion orcontraction of the tank and casing. l

w ERNST R. KOPPEL. 

